Project Drachen Spire: Multi-Launch Shuttle Giga (Cancelled?)

General Information:​

"Project Drachen Spire," is a community-generated identifier for the Intamin-made, multi-launch, shuttle giga coaster that was originally slated to open at Busch Gardens Williamsburg in 2021. The attraction is planned to utilize the currently-vacant land behind Verbolten, Festhaus Park—the former home of Drachen Fire.

The coaster's main layout—as leaked before the addition was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic—featured two launches, two spikes (one spiral, one vertical-ish), and a couple of banked turns. Drachen Spire was designed to run two trains by means of a pair of switch tracks connecting the primary, shuttle portion of the layout to the station platform.

Important Articles:​

• Most Up-To-Date Understanding of the Layout:
  
  

  Leaked Electrical Plan Depicts Busch Gardens Williamsburg's 2021 Roller Coaster in Detail – BGWFans

  If there’s a god, he’s up there laughing this afternoon. Why? Because BGWFans just had one of those classic sitcom moments. Yesterday, we published our painstakingly detailed analysis of the footer plan for what we believe is Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s 2021 roller coaster—seemingly a huge...

  bgwfans.com
• Most Recent Status Update:
  
  

  Drachen Spire Height Waiver Extension Details – BGWFans

  Just over a week ago, we reported on the renewal of the notorious 355 foot Festhaus Park height waiver that was originally requested for the controversial, Intamin-made, multi-launch, giga, shuttle coaster we’ve dubbed Drachen Spire. In last week’s article, we were very careful to leave the door...

  bgwfans.com

NoLimits Model of the Layout:​

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Direct Link to Embedded Media Source

Additional Coverage (Newest to Oldest):​

• https://bgwfans.com/2022/drachen-spire-height-waiver-extension-details/
• https://bgwfans.com/2022/drachen-spire-height-waiver-renewal/
• https://bgwfans.com/2021/drachen-spires-slumber/
• https://bgwfans.com/2020/leaked-ele...-williamsburgs-2021-roller-coaster-in-detail/
• https://bgwfans.com/2020/busch-gardens-williamsburg-2021-shuttle-giga-coaster/
• https://bgwfans.com/2019/germany-expansion-site-plans/
• https://bgwfans.com/2019/2021-rpa-impacts-plan/
• https://bgwfans.com/2019/newly-leaked-document-depicts-project-2021s-station/
• https://bgwfans.com/2019/project-2021-height-waiver-vote-happens-tomorrow/
• https://bgwfans.com/2019/born-from-the-ashes/
• https://bgwfans.com/2019/bgw-project-2021/

Previous Thread:​

https://parkfans.net/threads/january-2019-festhaus-park-height-survey.5696/

 

[warfelg]

I mean, it kind of is just an impulse coaster with one big tower instead of 2 smaller ones......

I’ve been thinking of it as a new version of the Superman Towers.

 

[CoasterTalkBob]

I’ve been thinking of it as a new version of the Superman Towers.

Good call.... that really is more of what it is..... just adding a curve and airtime hill before the tower.

 

[CoasterAuditor]

Maybe like the halfway point between Red Force and Superman is where I would look at it. If they actually theme it I will see it as a great attraction for the park and if they don’t yeah fun ride anyway. Skippable if the line is long. I like that it will likely have Pantheons restraints.

 

[Ice]

I genuinely don’t understand how you can call this “uninspired.” I won’t challenge any of the other adjectives but a coaster like this simply has never been seen before. I can’t call something this unique “uninspired.” If anything they came up with a really creative way to hit the giga threshold on a budget without just doing the standard launch-top hat-brake layout.

Unique does not mean creative. If you handed a toddler a paper and crayon and said "draw me something tall" they'd draw a long line, like a building. This is not a creative way to achieve giga, it is the bare minimum to achieve giga. Literally TTD is more creative.

There is nothing inspiring about this other than that it puts the spire in uninspire

 

[warfelg]

The defense I will give to Drachen Spire is that there could be something super innovative with the trains that we don’t know about. They could turn, could be back to back, could be free spin, could be stand up. I think though it would take something quite special to get me real excited about with this Project. I’ll still likely make the trip to ride it though. Either way I’m not too enthused about being backwards potentially for going up 300 feet or coming down 300 feet.

 

[GoHokies87]

I genuinely don’t understand how you can call this “uninspired.” I won’t challenge any of the other adjectives but a coaster like this simply has never been seen before. I can’t call something this unique “uninspired.” If anything they came up with a really creative way to hit the giga threshold on a budget without just doing the standard launch-top hat-brake layout.

I would personally call it enspired.

 

[Zachary]

I'll maintain this no matter what: The spiral spike tower looks amazing—like Nessie's loops, "amazing." I'm not excited about the ride experience, but, architecturally, it would be a triumph. It would easily be one of the most visually iconic coasters ever in my honest opinion.

 

[CoasterAuditor]

I’m just imagining the skyline once spire is up and whatever the hell is opening in 2025 is up. Very long way from Apollo up front with Alpie in the distance in 1999 when I first went.

 

[AIR]

I agree with you @Zachary I really just wish it wasn't right on top of Verbolten. 355 feet over grade is huge in general, but compared to Verbolten being 50-60 feet over grade, it's going to look horribly unbalanced. The sight lines from the Italy bridge of all the rides looks great right now and the Rhine drop for the Wolf/Verbolten is also incredibly iconic, at least for BGW. If this spiral spike were more on its own like over where the railroad tressle is, versus right behind the covered bridge on Verbolten, I think this would look way better, much more of an addition than an overshadowing.

I'm definitely on board with a large giga coaster at BGW, even a shuttle, just not this. I just get really picky with track layouts and surrounding site, but that's just me.

 

[metalman]

One of my frustrations is though it looks cool…watch the animation…the spiral is so high up the spire that is barely has any effect at all, unless you may be in the front seat. It’s like the water feature on Griffon. It’s for the audience more that the rider.

 

[rswashdc]

Feels like it’s in the Wicked Twister / Drop Zone mix of rides, which while not unpopular, is probably not going to be the draw they think it is. Being out of the way in the park is going to severely limit interest after the first couple seasons, absent a major build out of other attractions in the area.

 

[Zachary]

One of my frustrations is though it looks cool…watch the animation…the spiral is so high up the spire that is barely has any effect at all, unless you may be in the front seat. It’s like the water feature on Griffon. It’s for the audience more that the rider.

If it makes you feel any better, the height of the spiral's start was impossible to judge based on the plans we were working from at the time.

I think the biggest details we still don't know are the heights of the overbank and the start of the spiral, whether or not there is a hill (or two?) in the main launch area, and in exactly what sequence the launches and brakes are/were meant to operate.

 

[definitelyNotAnEmployee]

they've got some suspiciousle drachenfire colored (white/very light grey) I-beams behind a fence they've built between the old drachenfire buildings.

 

[Coasternerd]

they've got some suspiciousle drachenfire colored (white/very light grey) I-beams behind a fence they've built between the old drachenfire buildings.

I noticed some stuff back there on the train today. I couldn’t tell what, I didn’t get my phone out in time to snap a pic, but whatever they’re planning back there must be huge if it’s related to this. (Huge as in investment, such as theming and whatnot)

 

[qdeathstar]

I didn’t anticipate them starting construction so soon but I guess a project of this magnitude takes time and 2024 only a year and half away now.

 

[Zachary]

There is next to no chance this has to with Drachen Spire honestly. Hopefully someone will have photos of whatever is being referenced eventually though.

 

[Coasterguy95]

I’ve been thinking of it as a new version of the Superman Towers.

This is the most accurate thing I could think of, especially cus it’ll prolly use lsm’s to speed up and slow down the train

 

[EdK]

The one thing I'd wish they changed would be the spiral. The have that on Top Thrill Dragster and Kingda Ka on the way down and I'd just prefer a straight drop. Of course that would be too much like Pantheon.

 

[rswashdc]

The one thing I'd wish they changed would be the spiral. The have that on Top Thrill Dragster and Kingda Ka on the way down and I'd just prefer a straight drop. Of course that would be too much like Pantheon.

I would include spiral spikes in the same category as track running through a loop. Looks exciting, but doesn’t do anything for the actual experience and in some ways makes it slightly worse.

 

[Hamptonian]

I’m still holding out the delusional hope that the news of the boneyard being developed means maybe the ride will be changing to a full circuit coaster.

Put a cable lift on it, have the drop go near the water, that could add some more height, make it a proper record breaker. Worlds tallest giga coaster either way and I’m no expert on the landscape but it could be possible to make it the worlds only strata coaster with a conventional lift hill.

We have a family coaster coming to darkastle, another big thrill coaster for the record books would be a huge and logical (perhaps too logical) addition to an area of the park that is practically abandoned except for howloscream.

Give more air time hills and maybe some inversions so people don’t compare it as much to intimidator 305. I mean, the biggest thing against busch from a coaster enthusiast perspective is the lack of standout coasters. All the coasters are decent and most good, but nothing is as comparable to intimidator, fury 325, maverick/steel vengeance, iron gwazi, kingda ka, etc. they need one BIG thrill machine unlike anything else. Frankly if they don’t do it here they won’t be able to do it anywhere else.

End rant